Wellington School Installs Technomad IPA2 Turnkey PA System at Soccer Field

The Wellington School (Columbus, OH) recently purchased and installed a Technomad IPA2 Turnkey PA System in a makeshift press box at the school’s new soccer field. The Turnkey PA System was provided by SPL Integrated Solutions, a headquartered in Columbia, MD with a sales office in Richmond, IN. Ruscilli Construction Co., (Columbus, OH) designed and built the soccer field, including bleachers and press boxes, and integrated the PA systems. The field was designed and developed over the winter, and the installation was completed in March, 2007. SPL recommended Technomad for a variety of reasons, including the weatherproof loudspeaker design, due to the year-round outdoor installation, and high quality audio output for music and voice. According to Benny Young, Account Executive at SPL, an important reason for selecting the Technomad system was the company’s ability to provide a special amplifier option to drive the audio signal over a long distance.

”This was a challenging project because the home team bleachers do not include a press box and they wanted the announcer to be located on the opposite side of the field where the home team assembles,” said Young. ‘Since the initial design plans didn’t include an actual press box, Ruscilli Construction Co. had to pipe under the synthetic grass surface to run speaker cables to a field box where the portable Technomad PA equipment rack connects. The longer than average distance between the amplifier and loudspeakers across the field required a Technomad custom package with a 70 volt amplifier.’

Young added that Technomad recommended a special adaptive mounting bracket that enabled the Ruscilli electrician to install the loudspeakers on round metal light poles, since the traditional flat-surface press box installation was not an option. The two Noho C loudspeakers are installed on one light pole with one speaker covering the home bleachers and the other speaker aimed across the field for the best possible audio dispersion. SPL provided wiring and integration advice to Ruscilli Construction Co. throughout the course of the project.

”The Technomad loudspeakers provide excellent sound quality for voice,” said Young. ‘Because they are speaker cabinets and not horn systems, the Nohos have woofers that reproduce the low frequencies of the human voice. They also play music back at high quality. This is a shortcoming of a horn system, which tend to feature all mid and high frequencies with no bass. The weatherproof design is also important because there is no concern of them being affected by harsh weather.’ The installation itself was anything but routine. During the first test and training session with the Wellington School Athletic Department and Boosters, first it rained, then sleets, then snow. Despite the inclement weather, all the tests ran smoothly and the system operated perfectly. SPL Integrated Solutions, Inc. Richmond, IN 765-939-2190